For many of us in the tech world, Christmas means just one thing – it’s nearly time for CES, the Consumer Electronics Show.

For those who don’t know, CES is one of the biggest dates on the tech world calendar. It is a chance for gadget lovers everywhere to indulge in their favourite pastime – finding out what the Next Big Thing will be.

Rumours are flying around the tech world even on a quiet week, so things have been going crazy as we approach the big day. So what are the juiciest rumours leading up to CES 2012?

Nokia Lumia 900

This year CES is looking like the year of Microsoft, with all sorts of rumours flying around concerning the tech giant.

The launch of an improved Windows Phone is the most likely, as Microsoft continue their allegiance with Finnish mobile company Nokia.

The Lumia 800 was launched to critical acclaim in the latter part of 2011, and Nokia will be keen to maintain the hype. The Lumia 900 is rumoured to essentially be an upgrade of the 800, with a bigger screen and bigger price tag.

Asus EeePad Transformer Prime Mini

Asus’ EeePad Transformer Prime enjoyed rave reviews when it was released at the end of last year. It was a marked improvement on the EeePad Transformer, which was boxy to say the least. And now it looks like a smaller, more affordable Asus tablet will be unveiled at CES.

An upgrade to the Transformer Prime seems a little hasty, given that it hasn’t even been released here in the UK yet. But Asus is rumoured to be packing the same specs into the Prime Mini, which is a very interesting prospect.

Wii U

Nintendo’s next entry into the console market is hardly anything new, having been showcased at E3 last year. But the gaming giant wants to give it another outing at CES this year.

Let’s just hope we get more info on how the Wii U will actually work this time around, as the E3 unveiling last year raised more questions than it answered.